Gala Placidia's activity

Questions Asked

We all have cooking tips and techniques learnt through personal experience or because someone else was kind enough to tell us.

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 05:07

 A fairly comprehensive list of words related to food and wine has been prepared by a few of us. It still needs revision, corrections, additions and you may be able to help as it is a Wiki.

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 04:31

 It is official, the old Casino in Bagni di Lucca is reopening its doors after many years; however, it is going to be a modern version, more "little Las Vegas" style than its elegant and exclusive predecessor.

Mon, 06/29/2009 - 09:04

A few weeks ago I started a thread in the old forum about this topic. I still think that it would be great if we could all share our favourite recipes which our families and friends enjoy.

Fri, 06/19/2009 - 05:29

 I think that there are quite a few members who have married overseas an Italian citizen; however, I am not quite certain whether they have registered their certificate of marriage before the nearest Italian Consulate.It is advisable to do this an

Tue, 06/16/2009 - 03:43

 It is most important, if you own a property, to have a clear description for it. That is possible through the "visura catastale" which gives you and confirms many facts regarding your title.

Sun, 06/14/2009 - 05:21

 Polenta is one of those Italian dishes that you either love or hate. Considered in the past as the poor people's staple diet it is nowadays served in the best restaurants. 

Sat, 06/13/2009 - 17:53

I have just seen on TV some images regarding the Treviso tornado. I sincerely hope that any members in the area have not suffered from this disaster.  

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 16:44

 The base for many Italian sauces and dishes is the "soffritto" (sofrit in French, sofrito in Spanish), a mixture of some diced vegetables which are cooked in a heavy pan with three tablespoons of olive oil (although some other kinds of oil and fa

Sat, 06/06/2009 - 05:37

 Hi everyone, this is a warm invitation to joint this group and discuss Italian food, wine, regional cooking, recipes, tips, cooking utensils, history of cooking and any related subject you may wish to talk about.And welcome, Mimosa, glad to see t

Fri, 06/05/2009 - 08:28

Comments posted

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 15:13

The re-introduction of ICI was to be expected. IMO, its abolition for "prima casa" was lunacy as it was an important (probably the most important one) source of revenue for local government. A wealth tax... seems to be a valid idea. What is another show of lunacy is to increase IVA as this will hurt pensioners and people on lower incomes. These people will have to further trim their expenditure and this is not good for the economy. Trimming government expenditure is going to be an absolute necessity; however, I am certain that both health and education are going to be the first ones to suffer... as usual.

Answer to: Help please.
Sun, 12/04/2011 - 02:52

A pleasure to be able to help and bring some smiles to a little boy. Don't even mention it, as I am very happy to do it.

Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:42

MOT or "revisione" on the 4th year and from then on alternate years, as per EU norms. http://www.autoitalia.it/utilita/revisioni.asp

Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:37

Perhaps, it is not a "tasso" or badger, but another member of the "mustelidi" http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/tag/mustelidi/ We have at least a couple of the "ermillini" (whistles) living under the arches of the mill on the river. We hardly see them, but I noticed two unidentified little animals who terrorised other animals whenever they appeared. A friend of us, who knows a lot about animals, identified them. In theory, it is not very common to see them in our area.... but they are there. I always leave out some food for them on the steps that go down up to the river and they certainly it that. Now, I do not know whether all "mustelidi" eat wasps... but we do not have any problems with them.

Wed, 11/30/2011 - 03:10

Thanks, Fillide, and I do agree with you in that what they mean is studded tyres. Having chains on board seems to be the best option.

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 17:10

Thanks Penny. It is a pity, as they are very easy to fit. We have only used them with the road totally covered in snow and we found them fantastic.

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 13:14

Thank you, Penny, very useful. Does anyone know which is the current situation regarding the snow socks or "calze da neve". I do not see any mention, they only refer to chains or snow tyres.

Answer to: Help please.
Sun, 11/27/2011 - 12:24

It is a pleasure to help, Joy. I will also add a few words to the cards to cheer up Jude's Mum. It will be very difficult for her and she needs all the help she can get.

Sun, 11/27/2011 - 03:53

Lillipet, I think that your house is subject to a "servitude" (same word in English and Italian) which does not mean that the telephone company owns any part of your home. Perhaps, one of our "legal eagles" could explain this better than I. I do not see why the telephone company could not be asked to make a better connection that will not cause any problems to you. Whether they are going to do it or not, is a differente matter, but they should.